The Road Home
by AstroLatte
Summary: Ruffians? No problem. Thugs? Cake walk. Returning a Lost Princess to her Kingdom? That's a bit of a toughie.
1. The Road Out

**Chapter One: The Road Out**

It happened too fast for his mind to completely process. One moment he was dead, knocking on heaven's door, and the next he was back in the tower with a cute brunette girl crying over him. He knew it was her, and was instantly reminded of why it was better to be alive.

He would've missed a hell of a kiss if he'd stayed dead.

It was a great moment, an embrace well deserved after their separation, but then the moment ended, and she completely broke down. Her shoulders shook as she sobed hysterically, and threw her arms around his shoulders. He didn't say a word, rubbing her back soothingly, and allowed to her cry on his bloodstained vest. He heard tiny footsteps as Pascal climbed her side, curling himself into her neck in an attempt to comfort her.

She started mumbling something he couldn't make out through her hiccups. All he could hear was "magical hair… baby… princess… lanterns…"

"Hey, take a deep breath," he coaxed, rubbing her shoulders slowly. "Relax; I can't understand a word you're staying."

"Remember… remember when you first came here and I tied you to the chair?"

"Vaguely," he answered. "That whole thing's a bit fuzzy since you knocked me out a few times with a frying pan."

"I told you why I wanted to see the lanterns… because I felt that they were meant for me."

"Right, and we saw them, remember?" he thumbed at the tower's only window. "There was a boat, we sang a song, then we got cut off by me being two-timed and thrown into prison."

"Eugene, I'm serious." She sighed, motioning to tug at her hair, grabbing only air instead. Seeing her hand dangle like that broke his heart, and he quickly took hold of it, motioning for her to continue. Pascal jumped from her shoulder, scurrying off, and quickly returned with the purple flag Eugene had bought her at the festival. Climbing back to her shoulder, he dropped the flag into her lap, where she picked it up gingerly.

"The design on this flag is all over the tower," she explained. "I've been unconsciously painting it for the last eighteen years. My earliest memory was when I was a baby, and this symbol was above me. I wasn't in this tower and my mother wasn't… she wasn't Gothel."

Her hold on his hand tightened, almost anchoring him to the moment, to keep him from freaking out like he did at the campsite. He swallowed heavily, hoping to push his heart back in place. It felt like it was about to beat from his chest.

"I'm… I'm the lost Princess, Eugene," she managed, and instantly he froze.

His brain was swimming, and he had to focus to process everything, but he knew it made sense. Her captivity, her magical hair, her age, the fact that the lantern festival – celebrated on the Princess's birthday – was the same day as her birthday.

He thought back to the dark, smoke-filled pub, days before their heist on the palace. Maps were thrown out in front of them while Flynn Rider marked exits and guard positions.

"The most sought-after crown anyone has ever seen," one of the Stabbingtons had chuckled while attempting to outdrink him. "Rider, this is a job eighteen years in the making."

That old witch had stolen her, and he had stolen her crown.

"I know it sounds crazy," she sniffled, rubbing her eyes. "But I… I know it's the truth."

He looked down at her, and was hit with the ground breaking realization that he had to bring her home

"Eugene?" she said, softly when he hadn't responded. He smiled, running a hand through her newly chopped hair before cradling her face gently in his hand.

"Well, looks like we're going on another road trip."

She smiled, covering his hand with her own.

Eugene decided it would be safer to leave the tower from the newly revealed hatch than to risk scaling the side. Rapunzel agreed, although the knowledge that there had been an exit from her tower right under her feet the entire time infuriated her.

Looking back, she saw what she was leaving behind. Her eyes rested on the seventy feet of abandoned brown locks, and she ran her hand through her hair. The sight made her uncomfortable, like looking at a severed arm after it had been amputated.

Eugene kicked open the hatch, revealing spiraling stairs as well as several cobwebs.

"Yuck," he groaned. "I hate spiders."

He heard a soft giggle and he turned to see Rapunzel smiling at him sadly. Returning the smile, he extended his hand to her. He led them downward, in the darkness, and kept his complaints about spiders and all their legs to a minimum.

"How did you escape?" she asked as they neared the exit.

"With my brute strength and cunning intellect," he grinned smugly, as they exited through the tiny passage. "No dungeon, palace or not, can keep me captured. Yup, the only help I needed was that of—"

"MAXIMUS!"

"Well, yeah, okay; he helped," he continued, before taking a moment to see that Rapunzel had rushed to the horse that was eyeing her suspiciously. "Relax, Max. It's her; she just got a haircut."

Maximus circled Rapunzel slowly, his eyes narrowed as he sniffed the air around her; Pascal pushed the horse's nose away dismissively. Rapunzel didn't mind; instead she rocked back and forth on her feet, with her arms behind her back innocently

"Oh, c'mon, Maximus," she smiled, revealing a shiny apple. "Of course it's me; who else knows how much you love apples and the special spot behind your ears?"

With a loud neigh, he gobbled the apple and was instantly nuzzling her affectionately.

"You saved silly Eugene from prison? Oh, you're such a good boy, Maximus! Yes, you are!" she cooed, scratching his ears happily.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eugene saw the familiar velvet cloak of Gothel littered near the foot of the tower. After taking one last gander at the reunion next to him, he stealthily made his way to Gothel's cloak.

As much as he wanted the burn the thing, he didn't want Rapunzel to notice the garment, knowing full well she would want to bury it in respect for the woman who was once her mother. Sure it was selfish, but he didn't want to feel remorse for such a terrible woman.

He took hold of it roughly, rolling it into a heavy ball, before chucking it into the forest with all his might. Rapunzel was about to meet her real parents, and the memories of Gothel would only bog her down.

"Eugene?" he heard, and quickly turned around the tower to see Rapunzel sitting on Maximus with Pascal resting on her head lazily. "You ready?"

"Yeah," he said earnestly, knowing that the road back to the palace was also the road back to his noose. He hopped on behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her steady, but mostly to feel her warmth pressed against his chest.

He had already died once for her that day; what was a second time?

"I'm ready when you are, Princess."


	2. The Road Inn

**Chapter Two: The Road Inn**

The summer air was crisp as Maximus rode them down the dirt paths leading towards the Kingdom. With the dam being broken as well as a hefty bounty still on Eugene's head for escaping his execution, the outskirts of the Kingdom was swarming with activity, forcing them to take the long way back.

"Sorry about this," Eugene mumbled, his face hidden under a dark leather cloak Maximus had brought for him (he really was a well prepared horse). Rapunzel leaned back against his chest, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, stroking his arm tenderly as his hands gripped Maximus's reigns. "I'm happy we could take the scenic route this time."

"This time?"

"Yeah, the last time we passed through here you were being a jerk and rushed us through to get to the Snuggly Ducking," she gasped, turning around to look at him. "Can we stop by to see them?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea..."

"Oh please, Eugene!" she begged, "I'll be really quick, I promise!"

From her shoulder, he could see Pascal mimicking her pout, though outnumbered he still couldn't budge.

"Listen, it's not that I don't want to, it's that there's just a lot of guys out here who want to kill me," he explained, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I think it's best if we stay incognito for now."

"Oh, I see," she said quietly, sinking lower into him.

Maximus turned his head to Eugene, frowning deeply. Pascal shot a similar expression his way. Choosing to ignore it, Eugene looked past the glares and at the dirt road in front of them as they neared a fork. As he directed Maximus right, the horse geared leftwards, causing him to tug on his reigns.

"Max, no," he scolded. "I told you, I'm going to get busted if we go there."

The horse pressed on, ignoring Eugene's scolding and tugs. Until they reached the Kingdom, any guard or bounty hunter didn't stand a chance against Maximus. Regardless, if Rapunzel was really the lost Princess, then her wishes outdid that of Eugene's whining.

"Well," she smiled sheepishly from under him. "You do still owe me lunch from the other day."

He mumbled something incoherent under his breath; his frown was still visible under the cloak.

Maximus made his way towards the Snuggly Duckling slowly, and Eugene inspected the area for guards. There didn't seem to be any hanging around, which he took as a good sign. Eager to see her friends, Rapunzel jumped off the horse's back excitedly.

"C'mon Eugene," she smiled, taking hold of his hand.

"Listen, don't get upset if they aren't...around," he groaned she pulled him towards the door.

"You don't think they're out, do you?"

"No, I think they're arrested," he mumbled under his breath as Rapunzel threw opened the door.

"Garçon! Your finest table please!" she greeted, looking up towards Eugene's still cloaked figure smugly. "See? I'm learning!"

He would have smacked his head with his hand if he weren't so distracted by the scene at the pub. What was once filled with burly looking, hairy thugs was now filled with clean-shaven, bald men. Eugene wouldn't have recognized any of the so-called ruffians if it weren't for the fact that one of the bald-men sported a familiar hook for a hand.

"This aint that kind of place, girl," the hooked thug grumbled. "You better get lost before someone finds ya."

Rapunzel glanced up at Eugene, shooting him a look filled with uncertainness.

"Relax guys," he sighed as he took a step forward into the bar, pushing back the hood of his cloak. "It's us."

The pub sprang to life as the thugs jumped to their feet echoing his name as well as exclaims of "Hey, it's really him!" "Wow our escape plan really worked!" "We should listen to that horse more often!"

"Wait a second," the tiny bald thug who he recognized as Shorty slurred. "What 'appened to dat pretty little thang you went ta save?"

"Hey, yeah," another of the thugs asked. "Where's that dream girl?"

"Don't tell us you ditched her!"

"I didn't ditch her, she's right-"

"He totally left her to rot!"

"If you'd just let me-"

"That's so typical, Rider! Abandoning the girl to save his own ass!"

"Guys would you listen-GAH!" Eugene shrieked, as the back of his cloak lifted him up. Though bald, by the menacing glare (and unicorn tattoo) he could tell his capture was Vladimir.

"You got a lot of nerve showing your face here after what we went through to bust you out," the burly ruffian grumbled. "Where's the girl?"

"I'm right here!" Rapunzel chirped, gaining the attention of all the thugs.

Feeling awkward, she smiled slowly as the men stared at her as if she had grown another head. Looking down at Pascal for help, the tiny lizard pointed to his head.

"Oh right," she said, tugging on one of her short locks. "My hair's different..."

"Yeah, the dream girl had blonde hair!"

"And a lot of it, too!"

"I'm gonna ask you again, Rider," Vladimir growled. "Where's the blonde girl?"

"Look, how many times do I have to tell you before you listen? THAT'S the blonde girl! She just got a trim, you can understand that, can't ya baldy?" Vladimir's pupils constricted at the mention of his baldness, and Eugene smiled nervously. "Which I mean as a compliment, of course. I mean, you all look fantastic without hair. Seriously, guys, I wish I could pull that shaven look off, but I simply do not have to the features for it like you do. Is that a new Unicorn tattoo you got? Well, that is looking great, my friend."

"I can prove it," Rapunzel huffed, not liking being ignored.

"Oh yeah? How?" the thugs asked.

"I'll name all your dreams."

"You can tell us apart? Even though we're all bald?"

"Yes, even though you're all bald." She smiled smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're on," Hookhand smirked, "But if you get even one dream wrong, we get to punch Rider in the nose."

"Sounds fair," Rapunzel nodded as she shook his hook pleasantly.

"EXCUSE ME?" Eugene squeaked as Vladimir again hung him by the back of his shirt to a coat hanger before standing with the rest of the thugs onstage next to Hookhand's piano.

"Let's start with Hookhand," Rapunzel smiled, pointing to the first thug inline, his hand giving away his identity immediately. "Your dream is to become the world's greatest concert pianist."

"Very good," the thug smirked before turning to Eugene's hanging form. "You're spared at least one punch today, Rider."

"Oh boy," he groaned from his coat hanger. "I can barely contain my excitement."

"Next is Big Nose," she smiled, going to the correct thug and pointing to him playfully. "And you want to fall in love."

"Right again, little lady," Big nose grinned, before pulling a flower from behind his back to hand to Rapunzel. "And I was wondering...well if you would mind my faults...and deformities...if you...y'know...would...be...interested in..."

"Yes?" Rapunzel asked, leaning closer to the thug to urge him to finish his statement, she still had a lot of ruffians to identify. Meanwhile from the coat hanger, Eugene struggled to free himself, partly so he could be off the hanger but mostly so he could break Big Nose's nose for hitting on his girl.

Wait...what?

"Would you..." Big Nose gulped before closing his eyes and finishing quickly, "Be interested in going on a date with me?"

Cheering mixed with 'OOOHS', mixed with catcalls erupted in the bar. Somewhere off to the side there was a loud 'AHA!' also heard, as Eugene managed to free himself from the hook. Just as he's about to head over to Big Nose, he was easily grabbed by Hookhand and hung on a cheap looking chandelier. Dammit.

"Oh, Big Nose," Rapunzel, sighed, taking his large paws for hands in hers. "I'm so sorry, but I can't accept."

"I see," Big Nose smiled sadly, and in a low voice whispered. "Is there someone else at least?"

"Well," she answered, biting her lip as she glanced at Eugene who was swinging his legs, trying to gain enough momentum to kick Hookhand in the back of the head. "...you could say that."

"All right, enough of this garbage," the next thug grumbled, pushing Big Nose aside. "Let's get a move on."

As Rapunzel identified each thug, they made their way to Eugene's chandelier, taking great pleasure in spinning him around helplessly. During one round, he managed to land a kick at Gunter, sending the man flying into his own beautifully furnished corner of the pub.

After she proved herself to the thugs, she joined them at the table underneath Eugene, who was still stuck on the chandelier, dangling helplessly.

"So, were you ever able to see your lanterns?" Hookhand asked, sitting across from the tiny girl.

"Oh yes! Eugene took me, and there was a festival, and a boat and he even bought us our own lanterns!" she sighed dreamily. "It was...the best day ever."

"Wait, I thought Rider was takin' ya," Vladimir demanded. "Who the hell is this Eugene guy?"

"Is he the other man?" Big Nose asked, slightly envious.

"Oh no, Eugene's really jus-" she began but was interrupted by Eugene's sudden coughing fit. They all looked up to see him still hanging, red in the face from his apparently forced choking fit, yet no one seemed to make any motion to aid him. He didn't really care though, he just needed to make sure Rapunzel didn't ruin his reputation just yet.

"Pretty dusty up here," he grinned cheekily after his scene subsided.

"You really should let him sit," Rapunzel urged, and reluctantly Vladimir yanked the handsome thief from the chandelier, throwing him into the open stool next to Rapunzel.

"Ah, the change of scenery is nice," Eugene remarked, about to take a sip of mysterious content from a glass, only to stop after noticing its contents were green. "Speaking of change, why are you all bald?"

"Oh yeah," Rapunzel added, just noticing that the thugs were all lacking hair. "Your mustaches are gone too!"

"Well, you see," Hookhand, explained, motioning towards the direction of the kingdom loosely. "After that horse banded us all to save Rider's no good ass from prison, we all became public enemy #1-"

"You all were #1?" Rapunzel asked, wide eyed.

"Yes! That's how wanted this guy is," Hookhand continued, tilting his head at Eugene who winked flirtatiously. "Anyway, we all managed to escape the guards, they're not really the brightest tools in the shed, if y'know what I mean."

Eugene did, but he also knew how badly Hookhand had butchered the saying.

"We knew all the guards would be basing us on our looks, so we made ourselves inconspicuous," the thug motioned to his shaven face. "They're looking for a bunch of scary looking thugs, not bald guys."

"Genius," Eugene said drily.

"It really is!" Rapunzel nodded, his deadpan delivery over her head. "But haven't guards been stopping by here to find you?"

"We've had a few here, but mostly they see we don't match the wanted posters and leave."

"Yeah, who they really want is Rider anyway," Killer smirked, taking Eugene's glass and downing its suspicious contents in one gulp.

"Where ya kids off ta now?" Shorty slurred, elbowing Killer for taking the glass before he could.

"I'm bringing her home," Eugene shrugged nonchalantly as a glass smashed on the floor. "It was part of our deal."

"Where does she live?" Gunter asked, smacking both Killer and Shorty upside the head for ruining the one of the glasses that tied the room together so nicely.

"The kingdom," he answered, trying to find a mug that held something that looked drinkable. He needed something the wash down the sickening nervous feeling he had.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said?" Hookhand gaped, pointing his good hand at Eugene. "Every guard in the Kingdom wants your head! That's the last place you should go!"

"It's fine," he pressed, trying to end the conversation quickly. Geez, why was everything they served green?

"No, it aint fine, we risked our hide to get you out, and you'd be damn stupid to think we'd do that stunt again for you."

"Relax, I got this, okay?" he smirked, and suddenly felt Rapunzel's tiny hand on his from under the table. He turned to lock on her green eyes as she squeezed his hand tightly. "It'll be fine...I promise."

"You're doomed." Vladimir said, as the Mime thug (the only one who kept his appearance, actually) mimicked his expression.


	3. The Road at Large

**Chapter Three: The Road at Large**

Rapunzel sat across the fire, curled in Eugene's cloak snugly, eagerly waiting for him to return with more firewood. As Pascal snored lightly, curled along her side, she couldn't help but shake off the sense of déjà vu.

She half-expected Gothel to appear from the bushes behind her grinning madly, '_Well, hello, little flower.'_

Shaking the thoughts away she repositioned herself, so the cloak was over her head, as if it would protect her like her hair once had.

Rapunzel's chest tighten as the weight of everything finally began to set in. Gothel was dead, Eugene was still wanted at the Kingdom where he was currently re-escorting her, and her magical hair that glowed had been cut.

Also, she was the Lost Princess.

She sighed loudly, resting her head on her knees, as doubt slowly seeped into her mind. What if she wasn't? What if having Eugene bring her to the Kingdom only resulted in the King and Queen rejecting her and fulfilling Eugene's execution?

While the idea of being alone scared her, the thought of Eugene dying again threatened to shattered her to pieces.

She was ripped from her thoughts as she heard whistling and Eugene's form made his way back to their campsite.

"So, I was thinking," he grinned as he dropped the firewood to the side of a log. "Since your magical tear drop brought me back to life, does that mean that the powers from your hair are part of me now?"

"Probably not," she said lowly, staring at the fire as he added more wood. "You're not getting Super powers, Eugene."

"But it would be so useful!" he insisted, before facing her and seeing how badly she looked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, wrapping herself tightly with the cloak, only her eyes and nose visible.

"You don't look fine," he said finally, turning his entire body on the log to lean before her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired," she answered, still focused on the fire. "It's been a long day."

"Did what the thugs say get to you? About me being wanted at the Kingdom?"

Rapunzel buried her head in her hands, groaning. A heavy silence fell over them, as Eugene stared at her and the tiny chameleon that snored besides her. He turned to Maximus for assistance, who motioned with his head back to Rapunzel.

Making his way over, he took a seat next to her on the log. Sheepishly she uncovered one eye, inspecting him from behind her fingers. He gathered her up in his arms, hugging her she pressed her face into his chest, breathing in his scent.

"You should leave," she mumbled into him, as he held her.

He chuckled, but she took her hand in his.

"I'm serious," she pressed. "If you go with me they're going to arrest you. You should leave now, while it's dark. I'll go into the Kingdom with Maximus and you can-"

Her babbling was broken as he kissed her, passionately enough to fog her mind and lose her train of thought. She wasn't aware of how much she wanted the kiss until it started, a reminder of their changed relationship. They weren't just Flynn and Blondie off to see the lanterns, they were Eugene and Rapunzel and this journey wasn't entirely happy.

Keeping contact, she climbed onto his lap, digging her hands through his hair as he ran his own down her sides, cupping her rear beneath the cloak.

She gasped at the contact, leaving an opening for him to deepen the kiss. He traced his hands upwards as she moaned into him, still so new to sensations like this, still unaware she could feel this good, even when she was feeling so bad.

He was the first to pull away, feeling weird blatantly necking Corona's new Princess in front of the palace's finest horse. He rested his forehead against her's, their lips still barely touching, tickled by each other's breath. Her hands ran through his hair, as if attempting to tousle it back into place, unsuccessfully.

He was brought back by Rapunzel's tiny voice, speaking against his lips.

"I can't have you die again," she said softly, her freckled nose touching his.

"I won't," he answered, just as softly. "At least not for a while."

"How do you know?"

"Because you _are_ the Lost Princess," he said, realizing how stupid it sounded when she pulled away from him, still in his lap but now looking at him as if he grew another head.

"What?"

"I don't know how I know, but I just do," he explained slowly. "There's something about you that's just...indescribable. If you're not the Lost Princess, then you're some kind of weird magical being. You just have something about you...that's too wonderful to be normal."

She smiled, and he ran his hand through her newly chopped locks - his handy-work.

"Are you scared?" she asked, her arms coiled around his neck.

"Me? Scared?" he laughed, overzealously. "Well, now you're just being silly."

Giggling, she kissed his forehead, leaving a trail down to his lips where she pecked him chastely, enjoying the intimacy. Finding a comfortable place on his shoulder, she snuggled into him, closing her eyes. He readjusted the cloak on her, making sure she was warm. He turned to Pascal to see that he was still sleeping on opposite end of the log. Careful not to wake him, Eugene took the small chameleon in his hand, bringing him closer to their warmth.

Looking down at his situation, he wondered when did he become so considerate?

Staring past the fire, he locked eyes with Maximus, who was shooting him mocking grin. He pursed his lips in thought, before whispering to the horse.

"Hey, Max? C'mere for a second."

Tilting his head to the side, Maximus looked at Eugene with confusion. Slowly, he made his way to thief's side, still looking baffled.

"I just wanted to say thank you," he whispered, slowly. "For everything. We wouldn't have made it this far without you."

Grinning wildly, the horse puffed his chest, he leaned closer to Eugene as if to say, _"Yes, go on..."_

"All right, all right, don't get such a big head about this," he rolled his eyes, before taking a deep breath. "But...what I really want to talk about is something more serious. It's a big favor to ask after all you've done, but really you're the only one I can trust with this."

Knowing already what he was about to say, Maximus looked down at the sleeping girl in Eugene's arms sincerely.

"If something does happen to me," he managed. "Just make sure she's okay, all right?"


	4. The Road Home

**Chapter Four: The Road Home**

Making their way through the entrance of Corona, Rapunzel felt just as excited as she had their first visit, though still anxious.

Eugene decided that it would be less conspicuous if they walked Maximus through the town rather than ride him through the streets. Leading the way to the palace, Maximus guided them on as Rapunzel slowed down every so often to see shops' windows or townspeople passing. Feeling a tugging on her hand, she looked up to see Eugene's smiling face from under his cloak.

"You can go outside and play later," he smirked, as she blushed embarrassedly. "Right now, we gotta get you home."

"Sorry," she shrugged, hurrying up to his side, holding onto his hand tighter. "It's just all so… amazing."

"You know what else is amazing?" He grinned at her from under his cloak. "Me not getting arrested."

She was about to retort when a loud call of, "IT'S HIM!" rang, causing her stop. Eugene tried to act casual, pulling Rapunzel behind him, who had become nearly dead weight. Beside him, Maximus had sped up, recognizing the voice to be one of the guards.

"Wait!" the voice rang again, to no reply.

From the strength of Rapunzel's grip, he could tell she was on the brink of freaking out. He wanted to whisper to her that it would be all right, to just ignore it, but that would bring attention to them. Still pulling her along, he wished he could bat his eyes at her in Morse code, or speak telepathy – anything to erase that terrified expression.

"Hey!" the guard huffed, running to their side, stopping them in their tracks. Instinctively, Eugene stepped in front of Rapunzel, her grip on his hand almost painful.

"It is you, Maximus!" the guard breathed heavily, as he made eye contact with the horse. "After you helped Rider escape, we had thought you were gone forever! You're on your way back to the palace, yes?"

Sending Eugene a quick glance that assured him that this guard was not a threat, Maximus nodded politely before trotting off. Warily, Eugene followed suit; however, the guard stepped in front of them, stopping them again.

"Oh, not so fast." The guard frowned, the lightness in his voice gone. "You're in very serious trouble for assisting Rider in his escape. The Captain will want to see you immediately."

Rapunzel felt her heart jump into her throat. The Captain was the last person they should see, unless Eugene was interested in being hanged. Her panic intensified as Eugene's hand slipped away from hers as he left her side. Shaking out his sleeves and pulling the cloak further over his face, he walked in front of the guard with large, flamboyant steps

"Oh, zee guard of Corona, oui?" Eugene gushed in a terrible accent as his three traveling companions and royal guard looked at him as if he went completely insane. "Lovely! Just zee official for zee job, oui?"

"Um… oui," the guard answered before immediately shaking his head. "I mean, yes!"

"Fantastic!" He laughed, throwing his arm across the guard's shoulder. "For you sees, I simple traveler from foreign land. It très far, no bother questioning vhere. Vhile in zee forest, I come across horse and sees him, 'ow you say, dump man over cliff!"

"What?" the guard asked, looking up at Maximus. "You dumped Rider off a cliff?"

"Oui!" Eugene answered as Maximus nodded slowly. "I go to sees vhy vhen suddenly a sickly girl is found!"

Pointing to Rapunzel, everyone at once looked at the pixie cut girl. Swallowing hard, she nodded as well.

"Zee girl is ill," he announced eagerly, as the group continued to stare.

"Ill, you say?"

"Oui, très ill!"

"Um… she seems fine."

"Non!" Eugene exclaimed, turning the guard to face him "Zee girl seems fine, then faints!"

"What? She doesn't look like she's about to fai—"

There was a loud thump heard, as everyone went back to staring at Rapunzel's now fallen form.

"See! Zee woman 'as fainted!"

"Oh my goodness!" the guard gasped, hurrying to Rapunzel's side to gather her up. "Is she all right?"

"Zee mystery." He shrugged, his face still hidden under the cloak. "Zee horse show palace 'ave good treatment for zee girl!"

"Oh, absolutely!" the guard nodded, picking Rapunzel's tiny form.

As she hung like dead weight in his arms, she quickly opened her eyes to meet Eugene's. He smirked. If it weren't for the fact she was supposed to be passed out, she would have grinned back. She liked that they made a good team.

"Vell, then let's 'urry," Eugene announced, turning on his heel to make his way when he walked directly into someone's chest. Looking up slowly, he saw that it was the Captain of the Royal Guard, his mustache flaring angrily. "Sacrebleu!"

Not missing a beat, the Captain grabbed hold of Eugene by the collar of his cloak, throwing him into the side of a shop, and pinning him to the wall.

"Sir, what are you doing?" the guard yelled as Rapunzel remained still, too scared to move and naive enough to think their cover could still be saved. "That man is just a traveler!"

"Cadet, you are a moron," the Captain grumbled as his grip on Eugene tightened. "This man is Rider."

"No sir, you see Rider was thrown of a cliff by Maximus!"

Sending his subordinate a deadpan expression from over his shoulder, the Captain loosened his grip on Eugene enough to rip the cloak away from his head, revealing his face long enough for the Captain to slam into against an adjacent wall with a crack.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel screamed, jumping out of the guard's arms to scramble to the Captain. Before she could get anywhere close, two more guards had grabbed her, pulling her away from the duo.

"I have to say I'm disappointed in you, Maximus," the Captain frowned, looking up at his former horse as it was taken hold of by several guards. "You were Corona's best horse. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd never believe that you'd help a scumbag like this break out."

Neighing loudly, Maximus bucked and kicked in an attempt to break free of the guard's reigns. Meanwhile Rapunzel tried to pull out of the guards' grip, as Pascal attempted to assist in vain by pulling their coattails.

"Enough!" the Captain yelled, staring at Maximus dead in the eye as the horse stopped, "You've made your choice; fighting now will only worsen your punishment for helping Rider."

As Eugene's face planted into the wall, he felt his stomach sink as he heard Maximus's defeated grunt when he fell into line. He heard the reluctant taps of two bare feet standing on the pavement as Rapunzel was forced to her feet.

It was happening, the worse case scenario. He had broken his promise to Rapunzel, allowing her fears to become reality. He was going to die again, leaving her all alone with not even Max to help her. She would probably be left homeless on the streets, or rotting for life in a palace jail-cell, never having the opportunity to meet her parents.

"Wait," her voice rang out, gaining the attention of everyone but the Captain's. "Captain… could you please let me say something?"

The Captain didn't respond, but he didn't move either.

"What I'm about to say may sound crazy, but you need to understand," she begged from her position on the ground. "Eighteen years ago this kingdom lost its princess, and every year since then they've been setting off floating lanterns into the sky on her birthday to guide her back. I saw these lights every year on my birthday and even though I didn't know about this kingdom or this princess, I knew it was for me, and a few days ago I was finally able to put the pieces together."

"Rapunzel…" Eugene groaned uselessly, his voice muffled by the wall.

"Captain… sir… I'm the lost princess," she said, her eyes as fierce and determined as they were when she first disclosed her discovery to Gothel. Caught off-guard, the man watched as Rapunzel climbed slowly to her feet, facing the Captain head-on. "Eugene… Flynn Rider… brought me back, and I don't think a hero like that should be treated so rudely."

All of his years in the service could not prepare the Captain for this day. He felt his arm tremble, loosening his hold on Eugene, as he stared at the girl. Those eyes, that face… her features alone were as if she were the Queen's own reflection.

While there has always been a multitude of young women claiming to be the lost princess, none had stricken such an uncanny resemblance.

Could it be that after all this time… no; that wasn't his choice to make. It was a far more serious decision.

"Cadet," he grunted, still staring at Rapunzel. "Notify the King and Queen of the situation. I'll lead our… guest to the Lantern Plaza."

"What about Eugene?" she demanded, trying to cover her desperation with forced courage.

"Eugene?"

Rapunzel pointed to the man who was still firmly planted in the wall, his face still smushed from the impact.

"Oh, you mean Rider," the Captain answered, pulling Eugene away and up on his feet. With a loud click, Eugene's wrists were snuggly shackled. "He'll be joining us."

The Captain then barked orders at the rest of the men to return Maximus to his stable. Jumping from the horse's head, Pascal scurried across the cobblestone path, climbing onto Rapunzel's dress before hiding behind her neck. Petting her friend, Rapunzel glanced behind her warily.

"You won't hurt him, will you?"

"Come along, then," he answered, ignoring here question as he lead them down the square.

With every step the clang of Eugene's was another blow to her heart. As they walked, every so often he would send her a reassuring smile, hurting her more.

They soon reached the double doors of the palace walls, and quickly Rapunzel realized just how far she was out of her element.

"Alright, miss," the Captain instructed as he marched through the castle so quickly Rapunzel could barely digest their new surroundings. "You will follow me to the Plaza to wait for your meeting with Their Majesties, while my men return Rider to his cell in the gallows."

"Wait," Rapunzel cried, stopping in her tracks. "Can't he stay with me?"

"Absolutely not," the Captain sneered, shaking Eugene like a sack of potatoes. "This man is a felon, and his debt to society is overdue."

She knew what Eugene's debt to society entailed: a noose with his name on it. Her eyes filled with tears as the color drained from her skin. With quivering lips, she begged the Captain to let him stay with her, but he was not having it.

"If I could intervene," Eugene began, cooly ignoring the Captain's growls. "To be honest, I could've escaped from these shackles around five times by now, but I haven't. Why? Because I want to make sure she's okay."

The Captain followed as Eugene motioned to Rapunzel's panicked form. Pursing his lips together, he couldn't deny how frightened the girl looked, and he was surprised by how cooperative his newly returned thief was behaving.

"I know you don't trust me, but I'm asking you to trust her enough to trust me," he said finally, his face slightly bruised from its run-in with the wall. "Just let me stay with her until the King and Queen meet her, then I'm all yours. I give you my word."

The Captain's eyes narrowed as he inspected Eugene, then Rapunzel, then back to Eugene. Slowly, he turned to Rapunzel one more, still in awe by her likeness to the Queen. Shaking his head, he returned to the issue at hand.

"No funny business?"

"None," he promised. "No shenanigans, hoodwinks, hijinks, low jinks, or any kind of jinks at any level."

With a sigh, he reluctantly removed the shackles, freeing his wrist from the unpleasant prison.

"Thanks." He grinned, rubbing his wrists. "I owe ya."

"We'll see about that when I'm tying your noose," the Captain grumbled, turning on his heel to lead them to the Plaza.

Quickly, Rapunzel threw herself in his arms, squeezing him tight as he pet her hair softly. She buried her head in his side as he walked towards the plaza.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice muffed in his vest as she blindly took steps alongside him.

"I'm fine," he assured her, wrapping his arm around her to make sure she didn't trip. "I should be asking you the same thing. That was pretty intense back there, but you were great."

She squeezed him tighter as they entered the Plaza, unknowingly facing the same view her parents had just nights before for her lantern festival. Feeling Eugene tap her shoulder gently, she raised her head to see the view, immediately awestruck by its beauty.

"Wow," she managed, as Pascal peeked out from her hair to squeak a similar response. "Look at all that ocean."

"Yup," he smiled, pointing at the horizon with his free hand "And if you look a little closer, you can see all the boats that carry goods to and from the Kingdom."

"Is it like the boat we were on?" she asked, still fixated on the water in front of them.

"Kinda, only bigger. Some even carry people, you know, for traveling."

"That sounds amazing," she sighed, leaning into him. "It must be wonderful to sail across the ocean."

Eugene smiled, not wanting to ruin her sea-life fantasy by telling her the horrors of hurricanes and scurvy. Kissing the top of her head, he took her hand in his, pointing out other notable landmarks that could be seen from their perch. She listened with wide-eyed interest, smiling and asking him questions, as if suddenly forgetting the severity of their situation

Their time together had always been limited – what started as a two-day field trip had changed into a lifetime aspiration of devotion. He wasn't sure if these were going to be his last moments on earth again, but unlike the last time, he wanted to make sure his last memory was of her smiling, not crying above his body as he bled all over her tower's floor.

The couple was ripped from their moment when as a loud creak of doors flying opened sounded.

Releasing Eugene's hand quickly, Rapunzel turned in surprise, her emerald eyes meeting their long-forgotten match.


End file.
